“If you’re going to spend the money anyway, you might as well get something out of it.”

Ediza Ferris is serious about travel hacking, and it pays off. A recent trip took her and her husband from the States through Sydney to Dubai—where they were whisked from the presidential hotel suite to the First Class lounge via private chauffeur. Ediza is truly hacking her way to incredible experiences thanks to the world of miles and points.

Introduce yourself!

I’m a Blogger, Snapchatter, Posher, and travel-hacker. If I’m not blogging about the next best way to earn money selling your clothes on Poshmark, then I’m looking for the next destination and strategizing on how to get there. If I’m not doing that, I’m most likely traveling and Snapping my adventures!

Fine dining in Dubai

What inspired you to travel?

I started traveling when I was young, around age 5 or 6. My parents immigrated to the States from the Philippines and we’ve always made steady trips back and forth to go back and see family.

I took the opportunity when I was 16 to study abroad for the summer in a theater program. It wasn’t until then where I realized the world was so much bigger than myself, and so much older than how it’s described in the history books.

Since then, I’ve wanted to see more, eat differently, and discover anything new so that I can piece together for myself what this world is actually made of.

Tell us about a recent trip! What made it special?

On my last trip I was in Dubai, a place that I never thought I would step foot. I saw my husband taking in the city and all the sights, and it made me so emotional. I had spent so much time planning every little detail of this trip, and at that moment it hit me that all my hard work had paid off. My husband, the skeptic, was so proud to call me his wife!

Recent trip to Dubai

How do you pay for your trips? Which cards do you use?

Lots of time and travel hacking. I learned so much from Chris and Stephanie’s Dream Trip course, but there was also a lot more research that I needed to do before booking my own trip. I spent countless hours and months reading and learning every little thing that this hobby has to offer.

In the past 6 months, I’ve accrued over 300,000 miles and I’m still waiting for some more to post. But after the recent trip to Dubai I’ve used up most of my points balance for now.

Some recent hacking highlights include:

Detroit to Sydney (business class) for 62,500 American Airline miles
Earned by traveling for work and mileage runs on the Citi Premier Credit Card

These flights came after hours upon hours of researching and figuring out the best timing to snag a seat on just the right flights. I spent so much time researching everything before I booked a single thing. I’m constantly talking with other travel hackers, learning from the community (blogs, meetups, FlyerTalk, Reddit) and then, of course, I share what I’ve learned from my experiences.

A quote that has stuck with me, that validates why I travel this way is: “If you’re going to spend the money anyway, you might as well get something out of it.” If you’re responsible with your finances and you stay on top of your credit, then travel hacking should come easy to you.

Dubai

Any travel hacking tips?

1. American Airlines will usually release award tickets a few days before departure. You can wait until that day when they are available, or book when the award is available, and then switch it to the day you want when the award tickets are released.

2. Gaining status is almost always worth it. So put in the time to do some mileage runs.

3. Do your own research! And don’t forget the travel hacking community as part of that research! It’s a generous community with a wealth of information to share.

Past trip to Thailand

Where are you off to next?

I’m planning a dream trip for my husband: a trip to the Czech Republic for a Moto GP Race. We’ll pair that with a trip to the Philippines. But right now we’re are limited to the amount of time off my husband has off, so we’ll need to wait to build it back up after this trip!

About Chris Guillebeau

Welcome to The Art of Non-Conformity, a home for remarkable people of all kinds. If you've ever felt like there must be more to life, this site is for you. I’m Chris Guillebeau, the author and publisher of the site.

From 2002-2013 I visited every country in the world and wrote about it on this blog. I’m still traveling to more than 20 countries each year. Along the way I share unconventional strategies and stories on Life, Work, and Travel.